Protecting Access to Healthcare Services Act - 2nd Reading

CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : As the minister said, this legislation formalizes the agreement that was already announced that Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team would extend to New Brunswick to conduct investigations in that province. I want to echo some of the concerns brought by the member for Preston. I think we want to make sure, especially after the very high-profile killings of Chantel Moore and Rodney Levi, how critical oversight is.

We need that oversight, but we want to make sure that it is appropriate oversight, that it is culturally appropriate, that it is provincially appropriate, and that it has the right makeup. We need that police oversight. We need to know what happened in these serious incident cases, but we need oversight that's sensitive to the way that Black, Indigenous people, and people of colour are at a fatal risk of overpolicing. We know this. It is true. We also know that we need deep and systemic change in our justice system, and this oversight and bringing these instances to light are a vital part of that change.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I will take my seat and say that I look forward to hearing from stakeholders at the Law Amendments Committee who will speak to no doubt the efficacy or challenges with SiRT and any issues that this House may need to be aware of as we think of extending its services into other provinces.